They stated that only 2% of cats that end up in their care are ever reunited with their owners mainly because there is no way to identify who the owner is. In addition they said that the cat that is allowed to roam free but without a collar runs far more of a risk to be hit and killed by a car than the risk of being trapped and hung by it's collar. I guess it boils down to just how much risk are we willing to take? Does the good out weight the bad?
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My god, I love you!
That is EXACTLY the point I tried to make in the other thread but nearly got hung for and accused of being a money-grabbing weasle (not in so many words) for making because my website happens to sell cat collars! (That upset me, if you can't tell...
) Some would have you believe that virtually every cat wearing a collar will get stuck in a tree - my PERSONAL belief is that there's far more risk of your cat getting lost and never seeing him or her again than that happening. And it's nice to have some verified stats that support that belief.
It is, like you say, a benefit v risk decison. But you make them every single day of your life. When you get in your car, there is a chance that you'll be in a crash. After all, thousands of people are admitted to hospital every year with injuries sustained in car crashes and I'm sure there are doctors out there who believe you'd be mental to get in a car. Many, many people die of their injuries. But does it stop you driving? No, because TO YOU the benefit outweighs the risk. THAT is my point and TO ME, the benefit of my cats wearing collars so that they can carry an ID tag (even though they're chipped as well) outweighs the risk of them getting hung in a tree.
Like I said earlier and for what it's worth, although some people prefer the elasticated type, my preference and advice is to get a good quality safety release collar...
